Myanmar

Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and also known as Burma, is a sovereign state in Southeast Asia. Bordered by India and Bangladesh to its west, Thailand and Laos to its east and China to its north and northeast. To its south, about one third of Myanmar’s total perimeter of 5,876 km forms an uninterrupted coastline of 1,930 km along the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.

Myanmar is 676,578 square kilometres in size. Its capital city is Naypyidaw and its largest city and former capital is Yangon (Rangoon).

The country’s 2017 census counted the population to be 54 million people

Early civilisations in Myanmar included the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu city-states in Upper Burma and the Mon kingdoms in Lower Burma. In the 9th century, the Bamar people entered the upper Irrawaddy valley and, following the establishment of the Pagan Kingdom in the 1050s, the Burmese language, culture and Theravada Buddhism slowly became dominant in the country.

The Pagan Kingdom fell due to the Mongol invasions and several warring states emerged. In the 16th century, reunified by the Taungoo dynasty, the country was for a brief period the largest empire in the history of Mainland Southeast Asia.

The British took over the administration of Myanmar in the 19th century and the country became a British colony. Myanmar was granted independence in 1948, as a democratic nation.

Myanmar is an undiscovered gem that is slowly coming to life. From the lush green hill stations in the centre to the warm and sandy beaches of the Bay of Bengal it is country of great diversity. The former capital of Mandalay is a hub of past cultural dominance, whilst Yangon is a busy commercial port….and everywhere there are temples.

The Myanmar gallery was shot in October 2017 and covers an extensive range of images including Bagan, Mandalay, Yangon, Pyin Oo Lwin, Sagaing, Irrawaddy River & Ngapali Beach.